Rams, Lady Rams cruise at Littlefield tourney

LITTLEFIELD — Portales High’s basketball teams kept rolling on their merry ways on Thursday.

Both remained unbeaten with quarterfinal victories in Littlefield’s Wildcat Classic, the boys crushing winless Friona 80-36 while the girls turned back Stratford 60-48. Both PHS squads are now 8-0 for the season.

The boys are slated to face either Lamesa or Lubbock Roosevelt at 4 p.m. (MST), while the girls take on Levalland in the prior game at 2:30 p.m. Finals are on tap for Saturday.

The Rams unloaded 11 3-pointers against Friona (0-10), led by senior Junior Ramirez with four. He finished with 14 points, while senior post Jeremie Karngbaye scored20.

The Rams returned to practice on Monday after taking some time off following a win over Roswell High in a makeup game at the RAC on Dec. 21.

“All the kids came out and played hard,” Rams coach Rickie McBroom said. “It was a good game to have coming out of the break.”

The Rams more than doubled the Chieftains in each quarter, leading 23-11 after the first period and never looking back. Sophomore Cody DeWitt was Friona’s lone double-figure scorer with 10 points.

The Lady Rams also got off to a fast start, building a 16-point lead at the break. Stratford (13-7) closed to within six points with under four minutes left before pulling away.

Sophomore Taylee Rippee had 15 points and six rebounds for PHS, while junior Zamorye Cox added 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals and junior Senior Sky Marianito chipped in 10 points and six rebounds.

Laynee Burr (19 points) and Shaylee Audrain (18) did most of the damage for the Lady Elks, particularly in the second half when they combined for 24 of the team’s 28 points. Lady Rams coach Wade Fraze also noted that 11 of his team’s 13 turnovers came in the final two stanzas.

“They’re a good team,” he said of the Class 2A Lady Elks. “They’ve got good size and good shootings, and one of the best players I’ve seen in Laynee Burr.”